Plot Hooks – be careful not to have too many

 

I came across another interesting post at Reality Refracted talking about plot hooks and asking the question, “How many should you have?”

A.L. does a great job of making the argument that you should have as many plot hooks as you can handle as a GM:

If possible, the GM should have infinite plot hooks more or less ready to go at any moment.

On the surface I would agree with that statement, a GM should have at his fingertips an infinite supply of hooks so that he can keep his group interested and involved.

Beware the plot hook trap!

There is a dark side to this thought process and I myself fell into the trap of too many plot hooks. I mentioned in my posting, Realms of Rylon Postmortem – The Bad, I talk about the multitude of plot lines that contributed to the campaign going stagnant due to there being too many things for the group to tackle.

Where did all those plot lines come from? You guessed it, the stockpile of plot hooks I had accumulated during the campaign’s construction and play, I just love using player ideas when the offer them up.

It’s good to have the plot hooks available but be very careful when you go to tap that list. How many plot lines do you have open and do you want to drop another hook or two into the mix? You also need to make sure that what you have introduced is also getting resolved – that sense of accomplishment that all players need to feel.

So remember, have that tackle box full of hooks ready, but don’t toss them all at once into the water, they may just sink to the bottom and never again see the light of day.

May your dice roll well.

Plot Hooks – How Many Should You Have? via Reality Refracted